Category Archive: 'roadgeeking'

Now that the September updates are past, it is time to start collecting headlines again. Here are the headlines about California Highways for September:

Work to Widen SR-91 Moves Into Full Gear, New Bridges Part of Project. Work is ongoing on a $1.4 billion project to widen State Route 91 from the Riverside County line in Corona to Pierce Street just past Interstate 15 interchange in Riverside. The stretch of freeway from Anaheim to Riverside ranks as among the nation’s worst commutes because of heavy traffic. Also, SR-91 is approaching 50 years old and the traffic demands now placed on it far exceed its original design from the early 1960s.

Cajon Pass Commuter: No plans to reconnect SR 39 to SR 2. As I mentioned last week, a reader prompted me to contact Caltrans about whether or not Highway 39 in the San Gabriel Mountains might be a future possible alternate route for Cajon Pass commuters in the event of the closure of Interstate 15.

Metering lights may help untangle 101 snarls. There’s a tired sports cliché that goes something like, “You can’t stop him; you can only hope to contain him.” That’s pretty much the situation when it comes to gridlock on Highway 101 in Marin County. It’s not improving anytime soon — those cars aren’t going anywhere — so the only thing left to do is try to manage it and make it somewhat less miserable.

Dignitaries celebrate $16.7 million in Highway 29 improvements in St. Helena. Local dignitaries and Caltrans representatives gathered in St. Helena Thursday morning for a ceremonial ribbon cutting celebrating improvements to Highway 29. The project included a new center turn lane to make left turns safer, wider shoulders, new railroad crossings, new underground utility lines to replace unsightly power poles, a long-planned traffic signal at Grayson Avenue, and safety improvements for cyclists.

Labor Day weekend. A traditional time for me to do computer updates, be it writing code while on vacation in Hawaii listening to the Jerry Lewis Telethon when I was in college, or doing updates in the early morning while on vacation (while looking at I-15 in front of me, near one of the most spectacular bridges on that route). Hopefully, these will take less time than the last batch. [Update: They didn’t, which is why I’m finishing things post-vacation at my desk, listening to the music I picked up on vacation.]

August. The beginning of brush fire season in Southern California. So far this month, we’ve seen numerous highways closed due to brush fires, from Route 14 and I-15, to Route 1, to the routes up in Lake County. We need the other LA to send us some rain. So while you’re staying safe (hopefully) on the roads, here are some headlines from the month:

Calaveras State Route 49 Rumble Strip Safety Project Complete. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has recently completed an $823,000 rumble strip safety project on State Route 49 (SR-49) at various locations throughout Calaveras County. This project installed rumble strips which are ground into the pavement and designed to alert drivers when their vehicles leave their traffic lane. As tires pass over the rumble strips, drivers can hear the noise and feel the vibration produced by these rumble strips…

Highway 99 rest area off-ramp to close for roadway repairs. The California Department of Transportation sent out two commuter alerts for Tulare County motorists. First, the southbound Highway 99 off-ramp to Dodge Avenue will be closed from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday and Friday. The exit also serves the CH Warlow rest area, just north of Traver.

Motorists flocking to newly opened I-580 express lanes in Alameda County. Motorists took nearly 1.9 million trips on Interstate 580’s new express lanes in Alameda County in the first four months the lanes opened to vehicle traffic earlier this year, according to a recent report. The $345 million project opened on the notoriously congested Tri-Valley corridor in mid-February to solo drivers, who pay an extra toll to use the lane, and to carpoolers, who can drive for free.

The Future of Neighborhoods: Removing Urban Freeways Gains Fresh Traction. Growing up on the north side of Charlotte, North Carolina, Anthony Foxx remembers the geography of his childhood being defined by a quiet neighborhood of ranch-style houses, well-kept lawns—and an imposing brick wall at the end of the block. On the other side of the wall, there ran a high-speed on-ramp that connected the eastbound lanes of Interstate 85 with the southbound lanes of Interstate 77, two highways that cradled the northeast corner of the neighborhood. For Foxx, the wall, the highways, and the hum of traffic blended into the background. He knew nothing different. Over time, he came to understand they weren’t part of the neighborhood at all but more like interloping house guests.

July. The hot summer. While you are hopefully staying cool, here are some headlines related to California Highways that I noticed:

Getting the roundabout from the state. Sometime next year or a little bit later, the intersection of Valley Center Road & Hwy 76 will get be converted into a roundabout. The total cost of the project will be $17.5 million, which includes approximately $9 million in construction capital and $3.5 million in right-of-way capital. According to the Cal Trans website the goal of the project is “Reduce the number and severity of accidents at SR-76 and Valley Center Road and realign the curves just east of the intersection.” Design of the preferred alternative is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2016, with construction to be done in 2017.

VTA scales back toll lane plans. A controversial plan to construct toll lanes in the Highway 85 median could be abandoned, after city leaders made clear that the undeveloped strip of land dividing the congested highway ought to be reserved for transit rather than solo drivers in the increasingly crowded Santa Clara Valley. In June, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) board of directors agreed to put a half-cent sales tax measure on the November ballot. If passed, the tax would generate $6.5 billion over 30 years, and would help to pay for myriad transportation projects throughout the region.

Supervisors approve land exchange with Caltrans for 76 widening . The widening of State Route 76 from two lanes to four between South Mission Road and Interstate 15 requires the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) to acquire land from the County of San Diego, but the county was willing to sell land and grant easements to Caltrans in exchange for cash and Caltrans remnant parcels. The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 4-0 June 22, with Greg Cox in Sacramento, to approve the sale of 6.94 acres of county-owned land and the granting of 2.98 acres of easements in exchange for $143,599 in cash and three Caltrans remnant parcels valued at $155,800. The Caltrans remnant parcels total 112,415 square feet, or 2.58 acres.

Yes, I know updates are starting late. Between all my theatre (you do read my theatre reviews, don’t you), the Hollywood Fringe Festival, and other volunteer activities, I haven’t had time to do much on the site. But it is May (and now it is June … and now it is July 4th weekend), and I really should get something done. So let’s at least catch up…

But first, if you take a look at the bottom of this page, you’ll see that this site has existed, in some form, for 30 years. It started as posting of a highway list to the various highway related USENET groups. It then became a site of its own on Pacificnet (which, surprisingly, is still around, but I have no idea who still uses it). During the days at Pacificnet, the cahighways.org domain was created. When Pacificnet got rid of shell accounts in 2004, I moved the site to Westhost, where it has been since. But 30 years. Wow.

I have debated making some changes to the look and feel, possibly going to a content management system. I’m not sure if I could juggle two WordPress installations (as my blog is a WordPress installation on the site). I’ve also though about possibly moving the main information to a wiki. There’s a possibility those would make it easier to edit. However, editing isn’t the time sink — it is going through all the headlines, all the legislative actions, and all the CTC minutes. That simply takes time, whatever the content management approach. I am aware that the look and feel is dated (and not at all well-suited to mobile). I’m open to your comments on this. Please leave your comments on potentially changing the look and feel on this change post on the blog, or mail them to me at faigin -at cahighways.org.

One change that I will likely explore is moving the site to https://. Part of me objects to that change: encryption is really only needed if you have something to protect, and this site is public information. But search engines are starting to insist on it, so when I find time, I’ll check with Westhost and see what is involved. It may mean moving to a newer virtual machine, and will mean upgrading the blog and possibly all the other sites hosted here (mljewish.org, scjfaq.org, casaeclectica.com). But the key words are: when I find time. For now, let’s look at the last four-five months of updates:

Caltrans wants public input on Highway 17 plan. There are now 60,000 vehicles that drive Highway 17 each weekday. That’s up from 54,500 just two years ago. And by 2040, that number is expected to soar to nearly 80,000. Bracing for the increase, Caltrans wants to improve how motorists get on and off the congested corridor in Santa Cruz County. And the transportation agency is asking for public to weigh in.

Roundabouts are coming, but do they work?. On key Napa-area roads, the shape of things to come may be a circle. City and state officials are moving toward replacing a set of busy intersections with a trio of roundabouts to link Highway 29 with downtown Napa. Engineers have offered another circular hub – or two – to replace a convoluted five-way junction on the east end of town. Even outside the city limits, a planned high-speed connection between Highways 29 and 221 could see a towering flyover ramp replaced by yet another pair of roundabouts.

This post provides links to articles I’ve seen over the past month related to California Highways. As I am finally working on an update to the California Highways pages (Memorial Day weekend), those items that have not yet been processed into the pages are shown with ♦. [Update: Didn’t finish Memorial Day weekend. I have a few more AAroads articles to go through, plus the legislature actions and the CTC minutes. It’ll be done sometime in June]

Why a historic highway that united California’s two halves may never reopen to cars. Harrison Scott discovered the Ridge Route in 1955. Then 18, he was out freewheeling in a brand new Ford he’d bought with a loan from his parents. The sinuous route, an engineering marvel that tamed the San Gabriel Mountains through the highway corridor that is now known as the Grapevine, was already a relic. Opened in 1915, and credited by historians with uniting the economies of Northern and Southern California, the notoriously slow and dangerous roadway had been superseded in 1933 by Highway 99, itself to be replaced in 1970 by the 5 Freeway. Scott liked the abandoned motorway, but did not return to the route until exploring it again in 1991, this time on a road trip with his son. Spurred by the boy’s interest, and retired from a long career with Pacific Telephone, Scott became an amateur historian and began collecting photos and stories of the highway.

It’s a mess along O.C.’s part of PCH, traffic study says. Traffic congestion and safety conflicts among vehicles, bicyclists and pedestrians continue to plague traveling conditions along Orange County’s portion of Pacific Coast Highway, according to a newly published transportation study. The nearly $400,000 report, released last month and conducted by the Orange County Transportation Authority and the California Department of Transportation, examined the iconic but aging 37-mile highway from Seal Beach to San Clemente.

Highway 121 repairs could cost $5.5 million. Highway 121 is at least several months and $5.5 million away from once again having both lanes open north of Wooden Valley Road between Napa and Lake Berryessa. A section of the northbound lane on the narrow, two-lane road slipped a half-dozen feet during early March storms. The road reopened on March 25 with temporary signals in place to alternate traffic in the southbound lane.

Here are the collected headlines and other identified articles of interest from April 2016 related to California Highways:

Roadshow: Is new Valley Fair interchange dangerous? This man’s son died there. Q I was riveted by your column about the traffic problems at Interstate 280 and I-880 near Valley Fair, and the drivers who related near-accidents. My second son, Michael Boys, was thrown from his motorcycle and killed at that interchange on Dec. 4 soon after the construction was finished. My other sons and I have visited the scene, and it appears to us as well that there are really serious problems that make this a dangerous intersection. He was exiting 280 for 880 north, and that seems the focus of the other people who wrote in.

Lakehead’s New Antlers Bridge Gets Artsy. How about this fish story? Twenty-five-foot largemouth bass spotted at Shasta Lake. It’s not a stretch—it’s art. A design featuring two colorful concrete bass leaping at minnows is repeated four times on the new Antlers Bridge under construction on Interstate 5 about 25 miles north of Redding. If you want to catch it, look fast. There’s an eye-level view of the lunkers—one measuring 25 feet and the other stretching 16 feet—from the current Antlers Bridge spanning the lake’s Sacramento Arm at Lakehead. When traffic switches to the new bridge, which is expected to happen in late summer or fall, the I-5 blur-by will no longer be a viewing option.